Always Hungry? 5 Tips On How to Control Hunger Hormones and Stop Overeating

By controlling hunger hormones, you can avoid out-of-control eating and snacking. By avoiding overeating, you can finally start losing weight.

When these powerful hunger hormones are surging, individuals have no choice but to feed the overwhelming desire to eat. A regular snack or meal is usually not enough to satisfy the hunger driven by these hunger hormones.

Out-of-control eating is associated with out-of-control hunger hormones. What’s even worse is that the brain is primed for eating junk food when these hormones are surging.

Dieters who are always hungry due to high levels of hunger hormones have very little chance of sticking to their diets. Even strong willpower is usually not enough to control the overwhelming desire to overeat junk food.

Overeating triggered by these hunger hormones drives the whole process forward even more. Large amounts of food consumed can be comforting short-term, but will lead to increased levels of hunger hormones that will trigger overeating again.

What’s the solution?

Controlling hunger hormones is the key to lasting weight control. Most people who are trying to lose weight are trying to eat a healthier diet. By controlling hunger hormones, out-of-control eating can be avoided. When you’re not always hungry, you’re more likely to stick to your healthier diet.

What Are the Main Hunger Hormones?

* Leptin is an endocrine signal released by fat cells. It affects satiety and appetite. High levels or sensitivity of leptin inhibit hunger and food intake. Low levels or sensitivity of leptin stimulate hunger and food intake.

5 Tips On How to Control Hunger Hormones and Stop Overeating

#1. Get adequate sleep.

Studies on sleep deprivation have shown that it can lead to metabolic and endocrine changes, including decreased insulin sensitivity, increased levels of ghrelin and decreased levels of leptin as well as increased hunger and appetite. These metabolic and hormonal changes can lead to over-eating, weight gain and obesity.

Leptin, the hunger-reducing hormone, has been shown to be sensitive to sleep duration in a dose-response manner. Studies have shown that mean leptin levels were 19% lower when subjects had four-hour sleep period compared to subjects that had twelve-hour sleep period.

Sleep deprivation was associated with a nearly 40% decrease in glucose tolerance. This reduction of glucose tolerance was associated with decreased insulin sensitivity. The combination of these two metabolic defects indicates an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Reduction in insulin sensitivity is also associated with increased risk of weight gain and obesity.

Avoid refined or processed foods, including sugary drinks, candy, cookies and cake. By eating high-fiber, non-starchy vegetables and fruits, you can avoid rapid insulin response which can lead to increased hunger and increased food intake. If you find yourself hungry a couple of hours after a meal, you probably consumed too many refined carbohydrates that last meal.

In addition, moderate aerobic exercise can activate insulin sensitivity which can prevent increased hunger and overeating.

Obese and overweight individuals are resistant to insulin and have decreased insulin sensitivity. So, they have to increase their production of insulin in order to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Increased insulin production can make weight loss difficult to achieve because of the resulting increased hunger and increased food intake as well as increased fat storage.

Studies have shown that moderate aerobic exercise program — consisting of four 30-minute workouts a week — improved insulin sensitivity in both lean and obese sedentary adolescents.

Stress-associated hormone, cortisol, has been shown to directly cause the build-up of belly fat. In addition to controlling hunger and appetite associated with ghrelin, stress management is absolutely necessary for decreasing belly fat and lasting weight control.

People who are always hungry due to high levels of hunger hormones have very little chance of sticking to their healthy diets. The overwhelming desire to overeat due to high levels of hunger hormones is too powerful to resist.

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